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Story: Microsoft: IBM masterminded OOXML failure

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There are more issues than just freedom of choice.

""""And you sound like IBM or FSF :-)""""

Touche ;) I don't work for either of those entities, I'm self employed. However, I do in fact have a leaning towards Free and Open Source Software, and open standards, and I openly (pun intended) admit this.

""""I just don't like being told by others what to do or what is good for .....whether i t be my government, my boss, my wife, IBM or MS. I don't like it when companies try to lock me into their products or their standards. I want them to compete for and ern my business, and I want to have choice. Having IBM, Sun, FSF, and ODF Alliance ram their standard down my throuat and around the world is offensive. We are smarter than that. At the end of the day we all win when we have choice and when these companies are competing and innovating for our business. Having just one standard, no matter which one is bad for end-users, business and local economies.""""

Similarly, I dislike being told what to do - human nature I suppose. When you say you don't like it when companies try to lock you into their products/standards, then you must really revile Microsoft in that case, after all, their particular modus operandi is all about locking YOU into THEIR stack of products.

I'm puzzled by what you are saying about "having IBM, Sun, FSF, and ODF Alliance ram their standard down" your throat, as all they're doing is promoting the Open Document Format, which as you know is an actual, ratified, official world standard.

What /has/ been happening, however, is that Microsoft - desperate to keep their ability to lock consumers into their stack - have been trying to rail road their MOOXML into being /another/ ISO standard alongside ODF.

Why do I say rail road? Look at all the new countries who joined the ISO shortly before there was a vote for MOOXML. They weren't there before. And this is now causing the ISO a lot of harm, because it's finding itself unable to conduct its normal business because most of those new participants are not following their member obligations by voting on other issues and new standards within the ISO. Effectively, the ISO's normal activities have been severely hampered by this.

Additionally, the 6000-page document submitted to the ISO for approval details a standard document format (MSOOXML) which even Microsoft's OWN products don't generate! Microsoft Word doesn't save in the format detailed in that document. Excel doesn't save in a format detailed in that document, for example.

So, I say to you, be careful when you form an opinion on this. I'm all with you for choice, but at the same time, this issue has a lot more issues than merely choosing a format.

As to your final point about only having one standard, in my opinion, that is nonsense - for the reasons I outlined above. Microsoft want its MOOXML format as an ISO standard, but that particular format isn't even one which its own products use. Oh and add to that the fact that MOOXML will be maintained within ECMA - maintained meaning altered/added to - so you'll be back to the same old situation where products - open or proprietary - which compete for attention with Microsoft's products - will always be playing "catchup" with Microsoft, because Microsoft will change their products format internally, then pretend to translate that change into the ISO standard they've - er - worked so hard - to attain.

At the same time, ODF - which WILL ALSO be evolved, added to, and improved - will be FULLY published and documented - and anyone writing software to read and write in the Open Document Format, will be able to fully implement the format.

Personally, I know which format I prefer, and it's not MSOOXML.

Regards.

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